This invention relates to battery testers, particularly to a tester for small, button-type batteries, such as those used in hearing aids, watches, calculators and the like, and more particularly to very simply constructed, inexpensive, button-type battery tester with no moving parts, whereby a small battery can be readily tested.
The extent of the use of small batteries, particularly dry cell batteries, has increased rapidly and steadily during the last decade, and a substantial effort has been directed to the production of recharging devices for such batteries, as well as providing means for testing the strength or condition of the batteries. Batteries are often stored prior to use and in many instances are discarded for new ones without determining the existing strength or condition of the batteries, thereby resulting in a substantial waste of useful battery life.
A few battery testers and indicating devices are known in the prior art but they are bulky, cumbersome or expensive, use complex electric or electronic components and circuitry and are designed mostly for large lead-acid type batteries used in the powering of transmitters, receivers, servos and the like.
Some of these indicating devices or their components are exemplified in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,414 issued Feb. 1, 1977 to Robert Parker; U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,441 issued Aug. 10, 1976 to Johannes Van Den Haak; U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,706 issued May 10, 1977 to Frederick Davis; U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,021 issued Sept. 15, 1981 to Jacob J. Thereon; U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,897 issued Jan. 3, 1978 to Ralph L. Belcher; U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,060 issued Aug. 17, 1971 to Donald Churchill; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,780 issued Nov. 23, 1982 to William G. Skutch, Jr.
The copending U.S. application Ser. No. 723,329, filed Apr. 15, 1985 provides a simply constructed efficient tester for 1.5 v and 9.0 v dry cell batteries, such as the conventional AAA, AA, C and the D types.
The foregoing status of the art indicates that a need still exists in this field for an inexpensive and simple device or means for readily testing the charge state or condition of small batteries, such as those utilized in hearing aids, watches, calculators and the like, before deciding to discard them and install new ones at the time of contemplated use.
Tiny or "button-type" batteries, such as those used in hearing aids, watches, pocket calculators and the like are too small for many users and distributors to handle, particularly senior citizens and thus the testing of these small batteries require a certain amount of manual dexterity which is very difficult or impossible for many users. Even the simple tester of the type described and claimed in the copending U.S. application indentified herein, would be difficult to utilize for these small batteries because of their small size and the lack of sufficient manual dexterity which renders use of even such a simple tester difficult to manage at best. Thus a need has existed for a tester which is both simple in construction and which enables ready testing of these small sized batteries.